Tim Brown on Tuesday repeated his claim that former coach Bill Callahan sabotaged the Oakland Raiders' chances of winning Super Bowl XXXVII. Callahan responded on Tuesday night with a strongly worded statement in which he said he was defamed.

Brown told NBC Sports Network that Callahan knew his team would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if he overhauled the offensive game plan two days before kickoff.

“Why would you change the game plan so close to the game if you know the negative repercussions of that could cost you the game?” Brown said in an interview with NBCSN's Erik Kuselias (via ProFootballTalk.com).

Brown, in response to a question by Kuselias, said Callahan knew exactly what he was doing.

“I can’t say the man was incompetent because he was far from that,” Brown said. “You only leave me with one other choice so I’ll have to go ahead and take the latter of those two choices.”

Callahan released a statement on Tuesday night in which he denied Brown's claims.

"While I fully understand a competitive professional football player's disappointment when a game's outcome doesn't go his team's way, I am shocked, saddened and outraged by Tim Brown's allegations and Jerry Rice's support of those allegations. To leave no doubt. I categorically and unequivocally deny the sum and substance of their allegation. To suggest otherwise, especially at this time when it involves the Super Bowl, is ludicrous and defamatory. Any suggestion that I would undermine the integrity of the sport that I love and dedicated to my life to, or dishonor the commitment I made to our players, coaches and fans, is flat out wrong. I think it would be in the best interests of all including the game American loves that these allegations be retracted immediately."

Brown believes Callahan hated the Raiders so much that he actively worked to undermine the franchise. Callahan succeeded Jon Gruden as head coach after Gruden left Oakland to coach Tampa Bay.

On Saturday, Brown told Sirius XM NFL Radio that Callahan changed from a run-heavy plan to a pass-heavy one on the Friday before the game. That change, according to Brown, caused center Barret Robbins, who had a history of mental instability, to bolt the team. He did not play that Sunday.

Oakland lost the game, 48-21. Quarterback Rich Gannon threw five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns.

Some of Brown's former teammates weighed in on his claims Tuesday. Among those who supported Brown: former receiver Jerry Rice and running back Charlie Garner. Those who disagreed: quarterback Rich Gannon, tackle Lincoln Kennedy and linebacker Bill Romanowski.

Former fullback Zack Crockett confirmed that the game plan changed, but said it was his understanding that Callahan did so in response to Robbins disappearing.

A sampling of where each player came down on the issue:

Rice, to ESPN: “In a way, maybe because he didn’t like the Raiders, he decided, ‘Maybe we should sabotage this a little bit and let Jon Gruden go out and win this one.’ ... Yeah, I know exactly what I'm saying.”

Garner, to Philadelphia radio station WPEN: “There may have been something to what Mr. Brown has been saying."

Crockett, to ESPN: "The game plan had to be changed (because of Robbins' disappearance). ... I wouldn't say that Callahan would sabotage a game. I think that's impossible."

Gannon, on his Sirius XM NFL Radio show: "In terms of Bill Callahan, let me just say this: He was a good football coach, he was a good man. We all wanted to win."

Romanowski, also to WPEN: "(Brown) absolutely couldn't be further from the truth. ... He doesn't know what he's talking about. And I'll tell you what, I'm blown away that something like that would come out of an intelligent man's mouth."

Kennedy, to USA Today: "When you use a word as strong as (sabotage), people think you purposely tried to go out there and lose the game, and I know that not to be true. If you didn't like an organization, why would you take them all the way to the Super Bowl?"

A run-first approach would have run counter to Oakland's tendencies during the season; it had a 60-40 ratio of pass to run. The Raiders led the league in pass completions and passing yards and was second in attempts. Some of the players interviewed Tuesday pointed out that because Callahan kept Gruden’s system, Gruden knew what Oakland would do on offense.